The owners and representatives of I-League clubs met with AIFF officials in New Delhi on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, to present the structure and operational framework for the upcoming 2025-2026 season of the I-League.
It was proposed to form a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. This proposal will be submitted to the AIFF Executive Committee (EC). The charter for the Board of Directors, together with the roles and responsibilities of the Management Committee, will be submitted to the EC for approval.
As per the clubs’ proposal, the 2025-26 I-League season will have a two-phase format. In Phase 1, participating clubs will compete in a single-leg home-and-away round-robin format.
In phase 2, the teams are divided into two groups. Those who finished in the top half in Stage 1 will progress to a home-and-away championship round, while the bottom half will compete in a centralized relegation round. All points from the initial phase will be taken into account to maintain the competitive context of the competition.
The season starts on February 21, 2026. To ensure complete fairness, match planning must be handled by an AI-based system to eliminate human intervention. Additionally, match production will be maintained to the standards established last season.
The AIFF Deputy Secretary General, Mr. M. Satyanarayan, said, “Several important decisions have been taken, the most important being that the start of the league is scheduled for February 21. We have also received a new charter for the I-League proposing the formation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, which has been forwarded to the Executive Committee for ratification.”
Representing the clubs, Rajasthan United FC Owner Mr KK Tak said, “It is encouraging to see that everyone has come together with a shared purpose. The formation of this new governance structure reflects the collective intention of clubs to improve the football ecosystem and ensure higher standards in the league and governance.”
AIFF media
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